1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a combination night light and time-piece, and in particular to a combination night light and time-piece in which the time piece is separable from the night light for repair or replacement, and which includes an electro-luminescent lighting element which serves both as a night light and to illuminate the display of the time piece. The invention also relates to a combination night light and time-piece which provides additional optical effects to make an attractive display item.
2. Discussion of Related Art
An electro-luminescent night light is disclosed in parent U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/910,202, filed Aug. 13, 1997, which is a continuation-in-part of copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/383,404, filed Feb. 3, 1995, now allowed. The present invention combines a night light arrangement preferably of the type disclosed in the parent application, but which may also be extended to include other prior electro-luminescent night light arrangements, with a time-piece.
The night light disclosed in the parent application, and of course other conventional electro-luminescent night lights, only provide nighttime illumination and serve no other function. Although it is known to use electro-luminescent elements to provide back-lighting for a clock display, the electro-luminescent lighting components only work with a DC power source, rather than an electrical outlet or other external AC or DC power source, and the components cannot be used when parts of the time-piece are out of order or damaged. In addition, the display effects of the conventional time-pieces with electro-luminescent lights are relatively limited. The present invention, in contrast, provides a night light and time piece illuminated by electro-luminescent elements, with all of the advantages of electro-luminescent lighting such as low power consumption, brightness, color choice, and the possibility of providing special display effects, and yet in which the time piece can be arranged to be removed from the night light unit for repair or replacement of either the timepiece or the lighting elements, and which enables both the time piece and the lighting components to be used separately when the other is out of order or damaged.
While the present invention does not concern the electro-luminescent elements per se, and can be applied to a variety of electro-luminescent night lights and electro-luminescent lighting elements, examples of electro-luminescent lighting elements which may be used with the night lights disclosed herein are the electro-luminescent panels having discrete phosphor coatings areas as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,817, and in copending U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 08/729,408 (allowed), 08/734,872 (pending), and 08/746,706 (pending), each of which is incorporated by reference herein, as well as the three-dimensional electro-luminescent tube arrangement disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/758,393, which is also incorporated by reference herein. The night lights disclosed herein may also be used with the optical effects device disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/841,624 (pending), also incorporated herein by reference, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/489,160 (abandoned).
The time-pieces with which the night lights of the invention are combined are also known per se, and in fact the ability to be combined with existing time-pieces without the need to make significant modifications to the time pieces is a significant advantage of the present invention. Such time pieces can include clocks with digital or analog displays, including displays of both the mechanical and electrical (LCD) type, as well as time pieces with additional functions such as displaying the date, providing a wake-up alarm, sleep timer, or snooze function, serving as a radio or music player, and any combination of the above or other functions, all in a convenient and attractive electro-luminescent night light.